Serious Cruise Anxiety!

noelr56

Hey y'all,

I'm going on a 5-day cruise on Saturday (a friend is getting married on day 2 of the cruise!) I have heard rumors that it is an all out smorgasbord of food and drink- and while I fully believe in enjoying yourself on vacation, I am experiencing some anxiety about this trip!

Have you ever been on a cruise? What tips or advice do you have to stay on track in this situation?

MikePTY

Just enjoy the trip. 5 days will not ruin your diet. Ignore the scale afterwards for several days because you will gain water weight, but that will go away.

Yes there is a tremendous amount of food available on a cruise, but there are a wide range of options, so you can always balance less caloric and more caloric choices with each other.

And cruises are also a place where you can stay very active. Your cruise ship should have a full gym with exercise classes, a walking/running track on one of the decks, and several available active activities like basketball, rock climbing, and others. Stay busy and stay active, to help reduce the impact of the increased calorie intake.

Joy1580vb

Went on a cruise last summer (caribbean) and it was amazing. Lots of food but also lots of food choices. Did the buffet for breakfast and lunch. Lots of fresh fruit, egg station for breakfast where you can select what you want on your omelet or how you want your eggs prepared. Hot and cold cereal varieties were plentiful. I skipped the bacon, sausage and hashed browns. Good variety for lunch with healthy options....steamed vegetables, salmon, rice as an example. Lots of salads. I did partake in the Guys Burgers and fries which was so awesome! Supper was sit down in the restaurant and you could order off the menu. Nice selection and not huge portions which was ideal. Always had appetizer, main and desert. You will find that you are very busy on a cruise. Lots to do and lots of walking. I didn't gain any weight and certainly indulged in food that I normally would avoid. I didn't go to the gym to exercise but I did walk around on the promenade deck most mornings before breakfast as my form of exercise. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

noelr56

MikePTY wrote: »

Just enjoy the trip. 5 days will not ruin your diet. Ignore the scale afterwards for several days because you will gain water weight, but that will go away.

Yes there is a tremendous amount of food available on a cruise, but there are a wide range of options, so you can always balance less caloric and more caloric choices with each other.

And cruises are also a place where you can stay very active. Your cruise ship should have a full gym with exercise classes, a walking/running track on one of the decks, and several available active activities like basketball, rock climbing, and others. Stay busy and stay active, to help reduce the impact of the increased calorie intake.

I was hoping there would be a gym there! I think if I can work out a few days it will help limit my stress (and guilt for indulging!)

noelr56

Joy1580vb wrote: »

Went on a cruise last summer (caribbean) and it was amazing. Lots of food but also lots of food choices. Did the buffet for breakfast and lunch. Lots of fresh fruit, egg station for breakfast where you can select what you want on your omelet or how you want your eggs prepared. Hot and cold cereal varieties were plentiful. I skipped the bacon, sausage and hashed browns. Good variety for lunch with healthy options....steamed vegetables, salmon, rice as an example. Lots of salads. I did partake in the Guys Burgers and fries which was so awesome! Supper was sit down in the restaurant and you could order off the menu. Nice selection and not huge portions which was ideal. Always had appetizer, main and desert. You will find that you are very busy on a cruise. Lots to do and lots of walking. I didn't gain any weight and certainly indulged in food that I normally would avoid. I didn't go to the gym to exercise but I did walk around on the promenade deck most mornings before breakfast as my form of exercise. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

I think I'll use your strategy of skipping the breakfast meats- since they can really add up! I'm glad to hear there is an omelet bar so it's not just breakfast pastries!

leggup

I lost weight on my last cruise. There was no drinks package, so I ordered wine when I wanted it (vs the colada-calorie bombs). For buffets, I just took very small initial portions. Like, a bite. Then I went back for what I enjoyed the most. Mindless eating / plate finishing is how I gain weight. When we went to the restaurants that had 3 courses (like, pick one item from each of these sections), I requested smaller portions, asked for no X if I didn't like the sides, etc. I split dessert with my husband BUT if I liked it, we ordered a second one. Basically-- I didn't START with excessive food in front of me (because if I do, I eat it all). I only ate things that I was excited to try and just said no to things that were of medium interest.

I was also very active. I liked jogging the ship perimeter- there is a little track around one deck on most ships. I went to the gym, which had a beautiful sea-view from the bikes and treadmills. I swam, although the pools weren't deep, and when we went to a port, I walked around the cities a lot. I never made it to a ship-based yoga class, though I meant to, they were sunrise (screw that).

jemarsh32

I love cruising! Cruising is what you make it. There is food constantly but you don’t have to eat it all. Plus, there are usually healthy options on the menus and a variety of fun classes, such as walking, yoga, ballroom dancing, and more! I choose to take the stairs versus the elevator to help balance out some of the extra good food. You are going to have a blast!

rockymouse

Also, don't forget to drink tons of water!

MonkeyMel21

Just have fun! There are tooonnnnsss of healthy options too, it's not just all fried calorie laden things (of course there's that too, lol). They put the buffets up in between meals, so it's not like you'll walk by any time and be able to grab anything you want (they often keep fruit out though, and be warned there WILL be a soft serve iced cream machine available at all times). There will most likely be a gym as well. Find out the name of your cruise ship and then get online and you'll be able to find out. AND HAVE FUN!!!

MikePTY

noelr56 wrote: »

Joy1580vb wrote: »

Went on a cruise last summer (caribbean) and it was amazing. Lots of food but also lots of food choices. Did the buffet for breakfast and lunch. Lots of fresh fruit, egg station for breakfast where you can select what you want on your omelet or how you want your eggs prepared. Hot and cold cereal varieties were plentiful. I skipped the bacon, sausage and hashed browns. Good variety for lunch with healthy options....steamed vegetables, salmon, rice as an example. Lots of salads. I did partake in the Guys Burgers and fries which was so awesome! Supper was sit down in the restaurant and you could order off the menu. Nice selection and not huge portions which was ideal. Always had appetizer, main and desert. You will find that you are very busy on a cruise. Lots to do and lots of walking. I didn't gain any weight and certainly indulged in food that I normally would avoid. I didn't go to the gym to exercise but I did walk around on the promenade deck most mornings before breakfast as my form of exercise. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

I think I'll use your strategy of skipping the breakfast meats- since they can really add up! I'm glad to hear there is an omelet bar so it's not just breakfast pastries!

There's probably 100+ choices at every meal (at the buffet). So lots of temptations, but lots of options to make better choices if you want to.

MikePTY

Also, do you know the name of your ship? They usually have a lot of info online regarding it's fitness options such as the gym and active activities.

150poundsofme

Take the stairs; go to the gym. I kinda did how I would normally eat which is for me to watch the carbs (think pasta, rice, breads etc ((not the kind of carbs in veggies/fruits)). So anyway I would kinda decide beforehand which meal I would want to eat the carbs or a half of a carb for lunch and a half of a carb for dinner. For breakfast there should be plenty of protein options with fruits/veggies available. And if I did take dessert or even the carbs, I wouldn't take a big piece - take little just to take a bite and see if you really like it. If it is just meh, then don't eat any more. Make your desserts and carbs be tasty and ones you really love, make it worth the calories. And enjoy!

fallenangel66

I've just come back off a 2 week cruise, and never gained a ounce, my advice is eat what you fancy in moderation .

tracybear86

These are the 2 things that seem to help me. When I go to the buffet I get a big salad of mostly veggies on the first trip (don't smother it in dressing though! ) and then I am less tempted to fill my plate with a ton of higher calorie foods on the second trip. I also take the stairs everywhere and there are a ton of stairs!!

LivingtheLeanDream

For me cruise no. 18 is coming up in a few weeks, ours are normally 14 nighters and I've never gained more than 2 or 3lbs. Go on your cruise, enjoy the food, its 5 nights and the food is amazing. Then when you get back home get back to normal routine right away and any weight gain will be history in no time.
My tips are generally to keep active, no elevators for me unless I'm in a hurry to get somewhere, keep the bread to a couple of rolls per day, load my plate once at the buffet and don't return for seconds and enjoy a dessert per day.
Have fun